Richard: Patriot Games and Devil's Own

Patriot Games and The Devil’s Own are two interesting films in the way they shape the audience’s understanding of different cultures.  The relationships between the protagonist and the antagonist in both films give the audience a sense of the culture during that time.  In Patriot Games, I thought it was interesting how the antagonist was so passionate about killing Harrison Ford’s character after he killed his brother.  I found this interesting because the Irish were in the wrong and you cannot be in the business of murder and not expect a risk of getting murdered yourself.  I probably did not think the antagonist’s attitude and hatred would be that strong after they were just trying to take someone else’s life.

In the Devil’s Own, we began to feel compassion for the antagonist because he does not entirely seem like one.  We see that he has feelings after his partner was killed at the beginning.  This made the audience feel sad for him and made it appear as though he was not just a killing machine but was a human being as well.  Towards the end of the film when he was escaping on the boat, he just wanted to get back home.  He did not want to do harm but just wanted to get back home and deliver what needed to be delivered. 

At the end of Devil’s Own, Brad Pitt’s character says, “It’s not an American story…It’s an Irish one.”  This is significant because it lets the audience know that happy endings do not always exist.  In the typical “American Story” Harrison Ford probably would have pulled him to shore and got medical help and everyone would have survived.  It’s an Irish one, and he is saying they don’t always have happy endings like what would be expected. 

In this scene, we see the framing is being used here.  There is not much room for the characters to go because they were both in a closed area.  They are also holding on to each other.  We see the detail of the arms and the watch and the camera zooms in to both characters’ faces.  This gives the audience the full reaction of the characters.  We see that both characters are expressing too different emotions.  One is hopeless and one is hopeful.  This shows the juxtaposition of the two characters and their different backgrounds.

In Patriot Games the scene where Harrison Ford kills the Irish man’s brother uses angle as a way to portray a deeper meaning of the scene.  The Irish man is looking up towards the camera because Harrison Ford is standing up.  It almost gives the scene a sense of superiority on the hands of Harrison Ford.  When you usually stand up, the character is usually in charge.  This scene does that.  This shows the superiority that maybe Americans may portray and maybe the anger that some Irish people may have portrayed.  

Richard: Presumed Innocent

Presumed Innocent is an interesting movie.  It is full of action, anticipation, and keeps the audience constantly thinking at every turn.  From the start of the movie, it was thought that Rusty was innocent but several events and assumptions in the film made the audience and other characters question whether or not he was truly innocent. 

One scene in the movie that questions his innocence was the scene where Rusty walks into the office of Horgan.  All the people in the office points fingers to him that he might not be innocent.  This was the first scene where the audience questioned his innocence because we started to see previous small details that might just add to evidence of him being guilty.  The fact that we already knew that he had a sexual encounter or relationship with Carolyn kind of made them accusing him look true.  When the flashback was shown, it also made it seem as though he might be capable of doing something like killing her. 

Another scene was when in court when the jury found out Rusty requested that the phone logs between him and Carolyn be basically ignored.  This allowed the audience to reflect back to when he was telling his partner about the phone calls from her apartment to his house.  This made him look even more suspisious because they were actually on the night she was murdered.  The fact that he wanted those ignored made it seem as though he was trying to cover up for something.  He just looked even more guilty. 

Another incident was when Rusty’s friend pulled out the cup that had been used to get his finger prints in the case.  His friend said he took the glass.  This made the audience believe that even his own partner did not trust him, so why should we.  At this point, all the evidence actually did point to him. 

The mise-en-scene for the scene for the scene where Rusty was in Horgan’s office is good to analyze to see the slant of the scene.  Lighting key played a key role in this scene.  The scene is very dim compared to the rest of the movie.  Rusty walks into the office that is dim.  This gives the audience the feel that maybe something “shady” is about to happen.  When something is dim or rooms are dim, we tend to think about something is being discussed privately.  This is the feel that Rusty probably got as well as soon as he walked into the room.

Another element that is important is density.  The density in this scene is interesting.  We see that it seems congested or tight, almost like there is no escape.  Rusty walks into a scene that almost appears to hit a dead-end because of the spacing behind the officers that are accusing him. 

Another element would be character proxemics.  When Rusty walks into the office, we see a tremendous amount of space between the accusing officials and Rusty.  This gives the audience a sense of separation and gives light to a new suspicion.

Richard: The Fugitive

In “The Fugitive” Richard Kimble faces a lot of opposition while trying to defend his innocence and his true character.  The train wreck is indeed a good second chance opportunity for Kimble to defend himself.  Throughout the film, the audience does not see Kimble as a fugitive because we know he is innocent.  We also know that he is not a fugitive because he stops and helps several people along the way.  One example of him showing his true character and his innocence was when he told the officer to give him the keys to unlock him so he could help the wounded guard.  He genuiwinly wanted to help.  The audience could see this when everyone had gotten off the bus when they saw the train was going to crash into them.  Kimble stayed behind to save one of the prisoner guards.  He almost risked his own life trying to save another’s life.  The fact that he was willing to save the life of a prisoner guard that was driving him to prison is proof that he is an innocent man.  It almost gives confirmation that he would not be able to kill his wife if he has shown so many times throughout the film that he has a passion to save others’ lives.

Kimble really wants to save the man’s life because he does not just throw him out the window, but carries him in his arms while they struggle to make it off the bus.  He also gets hurt in the process but takes time to make sure the prisoner guard is doing alright. This scenes sets the mood and attitude for the rest of the film because it foreshadows what he might do in later scenes, which is save people.  He is then presumed to be a completely innocent man because of his work he put in to save the man. 

In later scenes, he does the same.  When he first arrives to the hospital and stitches himself up, he tells the paramedics what is wrong with the prisoner guard, and they wonder to themselves how he knew what was wrong with him before he even looked.  Another scene was when he was playing a janitor in the hospital and he sent the boy in to have surgery.  The doctor questioned how he knew the boy needed surgery, but she said it saved his life.  At this point, the U.S. Marshall decided that Kimble was actually an innocent man because a fugitive would not take a risk of getting caught just to save a child’s life.  He knew he could not be capable of killing his wife because his strong passion to save people was clearly evident throughout various incidents.

Richard: Mosquito Coast--Fanaticism and Imperialism

Act 1: In Act 1, the example of Allie Fox showing fanaticism is when he is telling his son about all the bad of America.  Many people do this, but I do not think it is to this extent.  He was saying some very radical comments.  It almost made it seem as though there was no reason to live in America.  This led to his decision to move his family to a whole different place outside of America.  This is considered fanaticism because he is only considering what he wants and not what will benefit his whole family.  He believes this is the best thing for his family when in reality it only ends up almost killing them in the end.

Act 2: In Act 2, the example of Allie Fox seeing the village of his new home and thinking he can turn it into something worthwhile.  His wife’s expression says that this is not at all what she felt she was promised or expected.  Allie tries to convince himself at this point that it will all workout.  He has the local people doing all the work and convinces them that he knows what is best for that society.  Allie is almost on an entirely different page because it seems as though he is in his own zone.  In one scene, he sits down next to his oldest son and asks if he thinks he is doing a good job.  I think this just demonstrates the type of power he has over his son and family because his son agrees with him without thinking about it for himself.

Act 3: In Act 3, the example of Allie Fox setting the church on fire demonstrates his fanaticism to the extreme.  It shows that he is willing to do anything without any limits to ensure that his soul is satisfied.  He refuses to get help from the missionary because of pride and endangers his family’s life because of that.  He is also seen as being irrational after he gets shot and asks his family if they are still going upstream.  This example shows that even after getting shot, that he still did not realize how irrational he has been.  He never came to reality in the end of this film.

Allie Fox uses the materialistic imperialism to get what he wants.  An example of this is when he first gets to the island.  He takes over and makes the natives do what he wants in order to create this new world he envisions.  This is similar to what happened to the Native Americans when the Europeans came over.  Allie Fox has become the nation he claimed to hate.

Reverend Spellgood uses a religious imperialism.  He uses religion as a way to get what he wants which is power and control.  He uses the ignorance of the natives and enforces a new idea on them by force.  This makes it seem as though he has power over the people of the land.

Richard: Witness

John Book took a significant journey when he traveled and spent time in the Amish community.  Through this journey he goes through a series of changes that transforms his character drastically.  He changes in several ways.  Even though he was in a different environment, he remained the same in a type of way.  There were certain elements of him that could not simply be changed. 

One way John Book changed throughout this movie was his passion for others.  At the beginning of the film John is moving at a fast-pace and does not seem to care that much for others.  After encountering Samuel and Rachel, Book learns to care.  He learns that he is no longer living for himself but is living for someone else that equally cares for him.  The part that showed he cared when he got to the Amish community occurred when he took the gun away from Samuel.  Any adult would have done this, but this was different.  When Rachel walked in the room and saw him and Samuel with the gun, he instantly changed his mind.  I think he realized that life was bigger than him when he told Rachel to put the gun in the jar of peaches. 

The other way he changed was that he had a better appreciation for life.  He saw that the simple life worked for the Amish people.  They valued each other and realized they were all on the same team.  They helped each other out and I think this is something Book realized this is something he wanted for the world he lived in.

Another way he changed was that he became more positive.  I feel like he came to an understanding that the world actually had a chance of changing for the good.  Living in his world made him realize there was chaos after he came to the Amish community.  He wanted more out of life.

His violence did not change.  When he entered the Amish community it appeared as though he resorted to the peaceful life.  When he found out his friend was killed, he became angry.  I think this triggered his reaction when the teenagers were bullying the Amish people in the town.  They tried to calm him down saying that was not their way, but it was clearly John Book’s way.  This is what still kept him distinguished from the others. 

Richard: Blade Runner

Blade Runner was a powerful film.  It was also portrayed in an interesting light, much different from the book.  One part of the film that contributed to its effectiveness was the voiceover track.  I think it’s interesting how a voiceover can actually have a big impact on the audience while watching the film. 

The purpose of voiceovers in general is to tell a story from a different view.  It is almost like having access to the inside of what someone is thinking or some type of exclusive information.  Voiceovers tend to create a separate story log in itself because it is something that is needed for the film.  Voiceovers do not work in every film, but it worked effectively in Blade Runner. 

The purpose of the voiceover in Blade Runner is to give the audience an inside view of what Deckard is thinking.  We can see his actions, but it makes it even better when we know his thoughts.  Knowing his thoughts and seeing his actions helps the audience put the whole story together in a better way. 

Imagine Blade Runner without a voiceover track.  It can be possible to understand the movie, but the audience would miss underlying meanings.  The audience would be left to guess how Deckard feels at a certain point.  Some points would be unclear if it were not for the voiceover.  Without the voiceover, there would appear to be missing parts in the film. 

The voiceover is effective in conveying thematic messages throughout the film because it touches on parts that just pictures could not convey.  It gives the audience the sense that they have the inside scoop or all around access to some of the thoughts in the movie.  Knowing what is going on in someone’s mind is like a cheat sheet because it sheds light on other scenes throughout the movie.

It was especially helpful towards the end because various conclusions could have been drawn from the end, but because we know what was in Deckard’s thoughts at the time, the audience was better able to understand the situation and Deckard himself.

Richard: Androids

The paragraph that explains the Voigt-Kampf test and also explains the “lack of empathy” between the androids is one that I feel could be corrected.  The Voigt-Kampf test was based solely on the amount of emotion sensed.  "You're sitting watching TV and suddenly you discover a wasp crawling on your wrist." He checked with his watch, counting the seconds. And checked, too, with the twin dials. "What's a wasp?" Luba Luft asked,” (Dick, Chapter 9)   It was proved by Phil, the police officer, that not all humans show empathy.  Phil did not hesitate to kill the android despite its beautiful singing voice.  This is significant because it shows that empathy may not be the main factor determining whether a thing is human or not.  An android could portray human characteristics of empathy if it were programmed to do so or even if it were to emulate what they saw a fellow human do.  This also goes to prove the test is not accurate and further complicates what a human is exactly.  It brings awareness to the point that something can be human but not have human characteristics. 

The second scene in the novel that proves this paragraph is not correct is the fact that androids did actually have feelings or could feel.  I think that the androids have feelings.  There was proof in this when Racheal killed Deckard’s goat because she was upset with him.  Also Deckard felt he had similarities with him and Roy.  This is significant because he saw characteristics in him that he saw in the android.  This would make it more complicated to understand the distinction between the two.  The main issue in the book was the question between who was actually human or if everyone is just an android. It was hard to tell the distinction because they all shared similar characteristics.  An interesting question that came up in class was about who determines what a human is.  I think this book brings awareness to other areas of life today because it allows the audience to see there is a type of subjectiveness to life.  Each area of life determines their own definition of what is meant to have life.  There was also evidence that society is determined by what one tells someone.  “The salesman, undaunted, continued, ‘A goat is loyal. And it has a free, natural soul which no cage can chain up,’” (Dick, Chapter 15).  This demonstrates how the minds of the people can be influenced by what someone tells them.

Works Cited

Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? New York: Ballantine, 1996. Print.

Heilemann, Michael. “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Blade Runner”. 2001. Web. 13

Mar 2014.

Richard: Last Crusade

The opening scenes for the Last Crusade are essential to the development of Indiana Jones as a character and added depth to him.  It helped allow the audience to see reasons behind why he is the way he is.  When he first sees the cross, he starts showing that he has a passion for artifacts.  We also see that he wants the cross to be put in a museum. 

Another scene that adds depth to Indiana Jones’ character is during the scene where he takes the cross.  He does not have a plan already made when his friend asks him what he is going to do.  He just magically starts taking action and it ends up working out. 

The opening scenes on the train provided a deep basis for why Jones is the way he is.  I think it was a good move on the producers and the director.  I also think the fact that we see some of his childhood in the last movie.  It was said that people wanted to know more about Indiana Jones or to know why he is the way he is, is when he lands in the snake pit, it allows the audience to see why he does not care for snakes.  This relates back to the earlier movie when he was fighting off the snakes.  This adds significance to the series as a whole because it ties other scenes from the previous Indiana Jones films together.  It also allows us to see the relevance in every small detail that is shown.  Everything has a purpose in the film in the opening scenes because its relevance is shown in his adult life. 

One scene that absolutely expressed the main theme of this movie was the scene where Indiana was in the boat.  After he chased the man and threatened him to reveal where his father was, he was questioned what his motive for finding the Holy Grail was.  Indiana responded that it was not about finding the Holy Grail anymore but about finding his father.  In this scene, we see there is a tight shot on Indiana’s face to show the seriousness of him.  At this point in the movie, it is too early to tell whether or not this is his real mission.

Another scene in the film is at the end when he tries to save the girl who is reaching for the Holy Grail.  She is more concerned with getting the grail than living life itself.  It almost appears as though she is completely wrapped up in the Holy Grail and does not realize the complete essentials of life that are surrounding her.  She fell into the cracks.  The same thing was about to happen to Indiana Jones when he reached to get the grail as well.  His father was holding on to his hand.  The proximity of these characters was really close as well.  It reflected their close relationship outside of them just holding on to each other.  His father convinced Jones to let it go and he did.  This scene was also symbolic of the relationship they wished they had with one another.  They realized they did not want to let go because they realized they missed so much of each other’s lives.  Indiana realized he truly found what he was looking for, not the Holy Grail, but his father.  

Richard: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Throughout this movie series, Indiana Jones did a great amount of changing.  Similar to Star Wars, each movie was a small journey within itself.  When all of these journeys were put together, they formed a bigger journey that Ford’s character had to overcome. 

Indiana Jones starts off as a character that mainly goes out for things that will benefit him.  That is evident in the “Temple of Doom” because his main goal at the beginning was to have the diamond.  He even risked the lives of other people to get what he wanted.  The same was evident in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”  There is a clear understanding of how he makes that transition from mercenary to indentured knight.  His transition then allows him to obey the authority above him.  Ford described his character as having many dimensions.  He said, “He’s kind of a swashbuckling hero type, but he has human frailties, fears, and money problems, and therefore is more down to earth.  He does brave things, but I wouldn’t describe him as a hero,” (Pheiffer, 115).  This is significant because it demonstrates how complicated his character is and may lead to understanding why he has a journey from mercenary to indentured knighthood. 

The most obvious point that Indiana moves from a mercenary to an indentured knight occurs during the scene where he is faced with the decision to either have the girl or the ark.  He makes the decision to keep the girl.  This shows maturity on his part because earlier in the film he probably would not have made the same commitment.  He realizes that he should no longer be selfish and should help others.  Scenes before this such as when he left her tied up, indicate how he was still on a mercenary track and had not yet matured into the indentured knight stage.  Fame and glory at the beginning was his main motive.  When he discovered all the risks and danger he put Marion in, he slowly started changing his feelings for her. 

Another significant scene was the one where Marion was put inside one of the baskets.  Indiana Jones made a strong effort to get her back.  We even saw when he thought she died, he was sincerely upset.  Indiana warning Marion not to look at the ark was also a sign of protection.  His knighthood is granted when he realizes that it is his duty to be the protector of others.  He also comes to terms with accepting the authority of a higher power.  He is now doing something for the government, even though his own motives are still in it.

I also think it is significant to talk about how he felt at the end of the film.  When he discovered where the ark was, it made him upset and very distrustful in the government.  He lost his faith as discussed in class.  

Richard: Star Wars Trilogy

In my opinion, Luke Skywalker is the clear hero in this Star Wars Trilogy.  He posses all of the attributes of what we would consider to be a hero today.  We see the various ways that Luke’s character develops from the very beginning to the end of the trilogy. Luke would clearly be considered the contemplative hero while Han Solo would be the civic hero.  They are both heroes in a sense, but Luke has more characteristics than Han.  Throughout the trilogy we see the hurdles Luke has to overcome in order to reach his potential as a true hero.  In each movie we see the breakdown of the three steps.  After the first movie, it seemed as though he had already developed into a full grown here, but it was evident when he faced the Dark Side.  After encountering run-ins with his father, Darth Vader, it was clear that Luke was still maturing.  Luke had to look within himself to figure out a way to defeat his own temptation for power and to understand who he was fighting for.  The scene where he was going against the Dark Side showed a hurdle that he had to overcome in order to grow as a hero.

                What makes him different from Han is that Han is considered a civic hero.  Han is a hero but a different type of hero.  He is a hero on a smaller level.  Han is the type of hero that is complimentary to Luke.  He enhances the attributes that Luke has and develops him into a stronger character.  When Han comes to help Luke in the first movie when he was defeating the Dark Side, it shows how both of them grew.  Luke also became more mature as a part of the journey to becoming a full hero.

                I think a main part of him becoming a hero was when he saw he finally came on good terms with his father.  He finally understood his father and Darth Vader finally understood him.  Luke’s journey to becoming the hero he was happened because he was able to triumph throughout the series.  When Luke realized that he had something to fight for after he left home, he finally realized who he was.  It was almost like he became in tuned with himself and his purpose in life.  The fact that he did what his father originally wanted to do and didn’t fall to the Dark Side makes him a real hero.

Richard: The Dark Side

There are many attractions to the Dark Side.  This was also a very important concept to see throughout the movies because it brought a large amount of underlying meanings to life.  Many of the Dark Side temptations foreshadowed events to come. 

                Luke is attracted to the Dark Side when he is with Darth Vader and the emperor.  The emperor is tempting him the opportunity to join their forces.  He then tempts him to kill the emperor and even offers him the weapon to use.  Luke is tempted to kill out of anger or hatred.  I feel that if he did choose to kill the emperor or Darth Vader, he would be the same person as them.  The emperor does things maliciously.  He is also considered the enemy.  Luke should only be tempted to do what is right.  Watching the rebels fight only made Luke’s temptation worse, but he realized that he did not want to turn into the Dark Side.

Darth Vader can also be one of the ones considered to have been tempted by the Dark Side.  The scene towards the end of the movie when Luke was being shocked by the emperor showed Darth Vader’s temptation with the Dark Side.  Even though he is already on the Dark Side, we saw a little bit of good come out of him.  He was tempted by the Dark Side not to save his son.  This is an interesting perspective to make this conclusion about Darth Vader being tempted by something he is already a part of.  He overcame the temptation by continuing to watch his son almost get killed.  The little bit of good left in him allowed him to overcome his temptation with the Dark Side. 

                Han Solo also gets tempted  with leaving the rebellion.  Even though he is not trying to fight for the Dark Side, it would still be considered a temptation of the Dark Side because he is not helping to fight the cause.  Han Solo wants to stop so he can just pay his debts.  This is a strong temptation because he would be completely removed from his duties of helping the rebels. 

                Overall, the temptations from the Dark Side have a strong presence throughout the series.  They did everything from foreshadowing events to come or making someone stronger in character.  Luke got stronger after his encounters with the Dark Side.  The temptation caused him to grow in patience and to gain an understanding of control.  This was something that could only be taught if he actually experienced it first-hand.  All of the characters grew in some type of way after encountering the Dark Side.  Overcoming the temptation was the greatest achievement that any of these characters could overcome.

Richard: Star Wars: A New Hope

George Lucas's “Star Wars: A New Hope” fits Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces.  One main step for completing a journey is the departure.  Campbell discusses this as being a crucial step to the beginning of a journey that any hero must face.  During the departure phase, the hero goes through a series of events that kind of foresee where the hero may end up.  The departure is also where a lot of the hero’s motivation comes from, and they also face some fear during this phase. 

The scenes that most helped Luke on his departure phase were scenes that involved death.  The scene where he and Ben Kenobi go back to his uncle and aunt’s house to find them dead is significant to the departure.  Seeing his family killed by the empire motivates Luke even more to join the rebels. 

Another scene that involved death was when he saw Ben Kenobi get killed by Darth Vader.  This scene greatly impacted him and probably ignited more desire in him to want to defeat the enemies. 

The next scene dealing with death that relates to the departure phase is when some of the fighter pilots on his team were killed.  It gave him extra strength to keep going because he knew it was about something bigger than just himself.  He was also hearing Kenobi’s voice in his head while attempting to defeat the empire. 

Ford’s motivation during his departure stage was that he finally found something to live for, similar to his character in “Hanover Street.”  Han Solo was simply living for money, but he looked at Luke’s life and saw his drive.  He knew that something was worth fighting for, and that is why he came back to help in the last fighting scene of the movie. 

His character basically fit a model of a hero that took a total transformation.  Han Solo did not come off as the type to just lay his life down for anyone but himself.  The text said, “He was convinced that he was not in the running for the Solo role and was merely wasting time paving the way for other actors.  Ironically, it was his crankiness that Ford was beginning to show that increased Lucas’s conviction that he was Han Solo!” (Pfeiffer 69).  This is significant because it brought out that same type of frustration in the actual Han Solo character.  We saw that he was frustrated in life and not doing much to make an impact.  His departure makes him realize that he can take that energy of frustration and use it for good.  It brought the character to life and gave a more profound meaning to his transformation.  The journey for Han Solo and Luke was only the departure phase during this first movie.  

Richard: Hanover Street Blog

The term “hero” can actually be considered to have a subjective meaning or definition.  Overtime, this meaning has been transformed into what we collectively consider a hero.  The media has a great deal to do with this, and this includes movies.  Hanover Street really set the tone of what a true American hero looks like.  We saw that different elements of an “American hero” were portrayed as having certain elements or characteristics. 

            Sellinger would consider Halloran a hero because of the attitude he possessed.  Sellinger’s idea of a hero was opposite of the characteristics he saw in himself because during the film we saw he had the need to change.  He wanted to become brave and adventurous to prove to his wife that he was more than just a gentleman.  This gives off the idea that simply being a “gentleman” is not enough in society.  Being the one that takes action and saves the day is what people will consider a hero according to Sellinger.  After he explains his the difference between Halloran and himself when using the analogy of saving the boy, it becomes clear that Sellinger is unsatisfied with himself.  Sellinger sees that Halloran is the one that can handle danger, save the day, and get the girl. 

            The book tells us that a deciding factor with Ford taking the role was that he had the opportunity to kiss a woman on screen.  This is significant because we see this in a lot of other movies where the hero is rewarded with a girl in the end.  It can be seen from movies such as Spiderman, Batman, and just about any other movie that portrays a hero.  Halloran was different though because he did not get the girl in the end, but it can be inferred that he got the girl at the beginning because of his heroic presence and outlook on life. 

            The book also tells us that Halloran did not have fear until he realized there was someone worth living for.  Not having fear at the beginning was a main factor in considering how brave his character was.  It was also interesting how intelligence has no role in what is considered to be a hero.  Without Sellinger knowing a second language, he and Halloran would have never made it through most of the second part of the movie.  Intelligence was put on the backburner to most of society in this movie and even today.  Sellinger’s wife didn’t consider him a hero even though he had a high rank, successful career, and spoke another language. 

            Ultimately, Sellinger and Halloran help each other become heroes.  After they fall out the plane Halloran sees that Sellinger will never make it far without him because he does not even know which direction is north.  Halloran wants to help him achieve this mission despite the odds working against Sellinger who just sprang his ankle walking.  Sellinger does not have to do much to help Halloran become a hero at first because Halloran is the type of character that will take action when it is necessary, even without being told, like the scene when he punched the man while they were in the safe.  When Sellinger showed Halloran the picture of his wife, Halloran really showed heroic characteristics because he wanted to do even more to make sure Sellinger made it home alive.

            Heroism frames the final actions of the film when the two men were escaping and part of the bridge fell, Sellinger made a sacrifice by telling Halloran to keep going to tell his wife that he tried.  This can be considered heroic because he is making a great sacrifice and has overall accomplished a lot more than he ever has.  Halloran then makes his heroic move by picking up the hurt Sellinger and dragging him to wife even though he has strong feelings for her as well.